We are a network. Webster?s dictionary defines network as, ?an interconnected or interrelated chain, group or system.? I would challenge each advisor, every student peer educator to examine how connected they are to the national movement, as well as to other peer education groups, advisors, and student leaders within Area 4, within their home states, and within their backyards. Regardless of your level of connectivity with others outside the walls of you institution, I would also challenge you to examine how you can increase your networking.

There is no such thing as a perfect peer education advisor, student leader or group. We all have faults and imperfections. However, when I think of those advisors, student leaders, and groups who are truly successful, they have embraced the concept that BACCHUS is much more than what is present at their institution. Advisors, students and groups have literally been transformed after attending the General Assembly or Area Conference.

When the groups I directly advise have been at their strongest, they have reached out to groups from nearby institutions. I have seen the power of one community college group mentoring other community colleges who were beginning peer education programs. Personally, I can attest to the positive aspects of having fellow advisors that I can bounce ideas off of, get personal feedback, as well as find many things to laugh about. This past weekend, two of my peers were guests of the Marquette and University of Milwaukee?s combined peer education training. After 9 General Assemblies and 8 Area Conferences, I can not say in words the strength of peers sharing ideas, struggles and successes.

With technology, we also have other means of being connected. The BACCHUS Network website provides great information, contact information, resources, and threaded discussion boards. The BACCHUS list- serve is available for both students and professionals wanting to gain new ideas and insights, as well as offer lessons learned to those in need. E-mail and IM has helped enhance conversations and communications that when the network first began would have been timely and costly.

As we begin a new year, I once again challenge you to step outside of your comfort zones and take a risk and engage in the many great opportunities that occur outside of you campus. Whether you do so on an individual or group level, I believe that these simple actions will help reinvigorate your individual and collective passions for helping make our campuses safer and healthier, help increase satisfaction with your involvement with peer education, and make your group and the network much more functional and sound.

Best wishes for a great new year!

Eric

Participants are responsible for making their own hotel reservations. For the best rates, hotel reservations should be made at the Hyatt Regency in Orange County. Single, double, triple and quad rooms are available from $129 plus applicable taxes. For conference rates please contact the hotel at (714) 750-1234. Reservations for the conference will be taken up to the cut-off date of Wednesday, October 25, 2006. Be sure to make reservations as early as possible, as the group block may fill prior to the cut of date.

This year's registration costs for advisors and students who register prior to Wednesday, October 25th will be $250 After October 25th, the registration fee is $280. Guests may attend for a registration fee of $330

• Have a solid publicity plan in place for recruitment. Consider application deadlines, publicity, and timing around student breaks. Each campus has a plethora of ways to get information out on your respective campuses. Use them all!!
• Recruit throughout the academic year. Keep an on-going list of potential student interest from your outreach programs and events on campus. Marquette keeps a spot in our outreach evaluation to solicit interest and collect emails.
• Get references from faculty, staff and administration. These people all spend a fair amount of time with students throughout advising processes and in their classes.
• Talk to coaches, athletic administration, and fraternity advisors for a ?few good men?.
• Use your current peer education group. One of the most effective things we do during recruitment is give each peer educator two applications to hand to students they think would be great in the program.
• Info table in your student union. Often a different pocket of students hangs out here compared to the library or other spots on campus.
• If you like ?health? major students, get your staff and faculty from health, fitness, biology, and exercise science to make some recommendations of great students.
• Seek out recommendations from your health related student organizations and student councils.
• Use your involvement in your campus Orientation programs and summer PREVIEW programs. Great freshmen often come to the forefront that may have had peer education experience in high school. The best part . . . they might stay with your group for four years.

Fresh Start Program: This program is conducted and coordinated by both graduate students and undergraduate trained peer leaders. It is a comprehensive, one-on-one alcohol early intervention initiative modeled after the nationally recognized BASICS program. This program is designed for students who have been referred by the university?s judicial system, residence halls staff, Greek leaders, or health services staff for violation of campus alcohol policy.

The series of three one hour sessions, spaced a week apart, encourages students through motivational interviewing techniques to consider behavior change in regards to their drinking patterns. In addition to encouraging students to drink responsibly, the fresh start leader also talks with students about the consequences of alcohol abuse, campus social norms, and drinking alternatives.

Each student then creates a plan for his or her own drinking habits. Three weeks after the final session, the student completes a check in follow up survey to complete their program.

Through the collaborative efforts of both the Health Services and the Center for Residential Living and Leadership, the Fresh Start program had a 133% increase in students participating in the program during the 2005-06 academic year with 70 student referrals.

Marijuana Intervention Program (MIP): The MIP program was implemented beginning in the spring 2006 semester. It is a non- confrontational, non-judgmental, and flexible marijuana early intervention and education program that seeks to increase the client?s interest and readiness for change. This program is also facilitated by undergraduate and graduate students. The sessions are designed to create opportunities for students who have violated university drug policy to evaluate his/her situation and resolve ambivalence in favor of behavior change that reduces risk.

There are two 45-minute sessions for the program. The first session is devoted to gathering information, discussing negative consequences and evaluating associated risks, and preparing the student for the on-line e-TOKE assessment. The second session (typically one week after the initial meeting) is committed to providing feedback and discussing the results of their assessment. Areas of concern are highlighted and personal consequences of their use are discussed. Students are encouraged to set goals and limits, discuss alternatives to using marijuana, and work on developing a vision of change.

Four weeks following the completion of the two sessions, students are required to complete a follow up assessment. This second assessment is used to evaluate their progress, reinforce gains made and troubleshoot any barriers. In its first semester, the program received 19 referrals.

What do the H.E.A.T. Peer Educators think about facilitating these programs?

"I think that motivational interviewing is effective because it is peer facilitated program. It is easier for students to talk to a fellow student. The program is not as intimating as it might be with a professional. The students are more willing to open up and talk about what they are going through." Katie Inukai, Senior Peer Leader

"Motivational interviewing is effective because the alcohol and/or drug users see what their alternatives are. Usually their abuse of these substances is part of a cycle of negative behaviors and emotions, but a change to that cycle and things can make a change for the better. Even just hearing alternatives to their typical cycle will get them thinking about making a change. Empowering substance abusers with alternatives and choices gives them more responsibility for their life and health." Lyndsey Withers, Senior Peer Leader

"Its very one on one and personal; friendly and not intimidating." Jennie Klesman, Junior Peer Leader

In July of 2006, global groups became one of Facebook?s available features. This feature allows users from all networks with a common interest to join a network wide group as opposed to university specific chapters.

As of December 2005, Facebook has the largest number of registered users among college focused sites at over 7.5 Million US college students with current accounts and another 20,000 new accounts created daily. It is the number one site for photos with 1.5 million photos uploaded daily and statistics from ComScore?s Media Metrix indicate that

Facebook is available at 2,000 universities in the US and abroad, and 25,000 US and Canadian high schools. Over 1,000 corporation and non-profit organizations use Facebook as a resource including Microsoft, Fox News and Teach for America. According to TechCrunch about 85% of students in supported institutions have a profile, of that 85%, 60% log in daily. About 85% log in once a week and 93% log in at least once a month.

The BACCHUS Network global group page will feature network information, contact information, recent news, photos, a discussion Board, comment wall, student officer profiles, a link to the network website and access to related groups.

The global group will provide another access point for information regarding the network and network events. It will also contribute to ongoing network communication initiatives, as it will serve as a new form of direct to student of communication. Discussion board and wall features will provide students with another open forum to debate and discuss issues and appropriate photos will help visualize the efforts of local affiliates and the network as a whole.

Wendy Seegers and her team at University of Wisconsin @ Fox Valley often struggle with being a small, two-year school. Due to a high turnover rate, most students only participate in the peer health education program for one year. Yet, this Fox Valley team does not let this stop them. The Fox Valley team is a part of the BACCHUS affiliates and appreciates the resources provided by the network. Many of the health promotion ideas are centered on the campaigns that BACCHUS creates. This is a great example of a peer education program that utilizes the materials given by BACCHUS and has fun with it! Keep up the hard work, Fox Valley.

Diane Fitzpatrick Sasaki and her group, Reach and Share at University of Wisconsin-La Crosse have also been very active around campus. In March, the group did a spring break carnival promoting safe and smart spring break tips. In April, the group hit the campus hard with alcohol awareness month programming. Diane was ecstatic to inform me about the new program La Crosse put on during alcohol awareness month. It was a gallery walk filled with stories about how alcohol affects the lives of the students and faculty at La Crosse. There were photos of loved ones lost to the effects of drunk driving as well as a video of other Wisconsin residents who have been killed by drunk drivers. Diane shared with me that this was the most successful peer education program that La Crosse has put on. They only hope to make it better in the years to come. In addition, the Reach and Share group creates a newsletter about topics relevant to college students and tips on ways to be healthier. This newsletter, titled, ?Stall Seat Journal?, is cleverly posted in the restrooms of residence halls. The most recent newsletter was devoted to stress.

In parting, I highly encourage anyone to hop online and take a peek not only at this publication but at the websites of many schools around the country. As part of peer health education, we are in this together. Sometimes all it takes is a new way of looking at things. It can be helpful and beneficial to each of our programs to see what other groups are doing in the world of health education. Finally, I would like to thank you all for the work that you do. Please remember it is not always the size if the peer education program or how many students are involved; it is the education and support that makes change possible in the lives of the students.

I appreciate you and hope you know that your contributions, be them small or large, are very important to our success. Here?s to another great year!

Megan McReynolds
Marquette University
Wisconsin SSR
megan.mcreynolds@marquette.edu

IL, MN, and ND/SD SSR's will each be featured in upcoming newsletters. Please feel free to contact them at:

MN - Lauren Christiansen, chri1111@umn.edu
ND/SD - Devi Chettiar, chet0004@umn.edu
IL - Amanda Brown, silvermist1022@yahoo.com

New Materials

• Pamphlets on Hookahs, Menthol Cigarettes, and Cessation Medication
• Updated Stall Stories ? perfect for residence halls, Greek houses, and bathrooms throughout campus
• New Quit Kits ? these quit kits are less expensive and come in a re-sealable bag so you can add your own items as well!
• Smokefree Lip Balm ? with SPF 15
• Tobacco Free Chewing Gum ? it is sugar free, too! This is a great giveaway at Smokeout for those trying to quit smoking or spit tobacco.
• Post-It Notes ? with the popular message ?Live It Up ? Don?t Light It Up?, these notes will spread the word across campus to live a tobacco-free life.
• New Awareness Wristbands

Collegiate Smokeout

The 2006 Collegiate Smokeout Programming Manual will be arriving on affiliated campuses in October! This year?s theme is ?My Tobacco Free Space: Where Friends Help Friends Be Tobacco Free.? Be sure to watch for it in early Fall as this year?s Smokeout is on Thursday, November 16!

Remember, this is really a great opportunity to be recognized on a national level. Along with bragging rights, a prestigious award might help recruit funding from the administration or elsewhere for your program. It is also a chance to thank an individual advisor or student for their hard work and accomplishments.

The deadline to apply is Friday, October 13. But don't delay, as you know how easy it is to let things slip though the cracks.

All candidates for SAC, who attend General Assembly, are required to attend the Thursday night information meeting. In order to be eligible for the ballot, the candidate must be an undergraduate student throughout the entire term as SAC member. If no student from a particular area attends the Thursday night meeting, nominations for candidates will be accepted at the Area Meeting. If a candidate is interested in running for SAC but will not be attending the General Assembly, the candidate needs to contact a Student Trustee and obtain an application well before the General Assembly. The Student Trustee along with the current SAC will make arrangements for absentee candidacy representative.

During the Area 4 meeting candidates will deliver a brief speech outlining their interest in the position. A question and answer session will follow each speech. Votes will be cast by each attending recognized BACCHUS or GAMMA affiliate. The Student Trustees will announce election results at the luncheon on Saturday.

If you are interested in taking on this great leadership opportunity contact your current SAC representative Emily at area4sac@bacchusgamma.org

All Month:

Domestic Violence Awareness Month
National AIDS Awareness Month
National Breast Cancer Awareness Month
Parents Weekend/Homecoming

State Coordinators

Illinois
Position Vacant

Minnesota
Judith Douglas
Gustavus Adolphus College
Box B-3, 800 W. College Ave.
St. Peter, MN 56082
(507) 933-7665 (507) 933-7041 FAX
douglas@gustavus.edu

North & South Dakota
Position Vacant

Wisconsin
Amy Melichar
Marquette University
707 N. 11th Ave., Suite 130
Milwaukee, WI 53233
(414) 288-5217 (414) 288-0234 FAX
amy.melichar@mu.edu

SAC Member

Emily Matson
220 Delaware St. SE Apt. 677L
Minneapolis, MN 55455
(612) 301-5187
area4sac@bacchusgamma.org